Joe Blades lives his version of a Canadian artist's life with at least one twist ...

13 September 2008

joe’s going west

Joe Blades will be participating in a Fall Literary Extravaganza, 18-25 September 2008, in Grande Prairie, Alberta along with related activities in Dawson Creek, BC (about 1.5 hrs drive west of Grande Prairie). Alongside Jenna Butler & Dymphny Dronyk, on 19 Sept, Joe will be giving reading–workshop presentations to high school students at South Peace Senior Secondary School and 7 pm reading at the Dawson Creek Art Gallery that evening.

“Joe does a thing where he sets up his typewriter, an old manual typewriter he’s got, and he sets it up on a desk either in the entrance or in the window,” See explained. “He’ll (then) spend some time composing poetry kind of on-the-fly while people are coming by, while he’s watching the streets.”—Henry See, The Rabbit Hole Bookstore, quoted in "Small Press Fair going down the Rabbit Hole" by Nick Kuhl, Encore!

“Books By Hand”, hand-sewn chapbook making workshopled by Joe Blades. Chapbooks are a really creative, unique way to create small collections of poems or short fiction. September 23, 7-9:30, $40 per person, minimum 6 participants. For info: Centre for Creative Arts, Grande Prairie, info@creativecentre.ca 780-814-6080.